vim_mentor's Introduction

vim

Vim is a highly configurable text editor for efficiently creating and changing any kind of text. It is included as "vi" with most UNIX systems and with Apple OS X.

Modes in vim

Command Mode : everything you type is a command that allows you to move the cursor around, delete and copy text, search for words, save the file, quit, etc.
Insert Mode: everything you type (save for special keys) is added to the file, as would happen in a word processor; however, you can only move the cursor with the arrow keys, not the mouse.

To create a file with vim:

Type the command vim file_name.extension (e.g. vim_example.txt) or vi file_name.extension
The editor starts in command mode.
We can switch to insert mode by typing i. You should see the message -- INSERT -- appear at the bottom of your window.
To go back to command mode, press the escape key. The message should now disappear. Toggle back and forth between the two modes.

Command mode cheat sheet:

Saving and quiting:
- :w - save
- :wq - save and quit
- :q - quit
- :q! - quit, ignoring changes
- :u - undo
Moving the cursor:
- 0 - first column of the line
- ^ - first non-blank character of the line
- $ - jump to the last character of the line
- w - jump to next word
- b - jump to word-beginning
- } - jump over a block of lines
- % - jump to matching bracket
- '*' - go to next occurrence of word under cursor
- '#' - go to previous occurrence of word under cursor
Copy and Paste
- yy - copy current line
- 10yy copy 10 lines
- p - paste
Search:
- /word_to_search - search the document for the next occurrence of word_to_search
- ?word_to_search - search the document for the previous occurrence of word_to_search

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